Data dictionary table updates

The Data dictionary update screen shows the data elements of the selected RefTracker data table.

It shows the fields (and code table links) that make up each table and, where appropriate, allows the field name to be set by your library. When a field name is changed it will be referred to by the new name throughout RefTracker, for example a field used in Request forms will not only appear under its new name in the Request forms design screens, but the text for its default label will also be set to the new name. Note that Code table names are changed in the Code table screens, not in that Data dictionary.

In some Data dictionary tables fields can be disabled (and hence no longer displayed in RefTracker) if your library does not want to collect that data. Similarly fields can be set to mandatory in the Data dictionary, which means that when they are used in RefTracker screens or Request forms, data MUST be entered for them (but mandatory does not mean that they have to be used in every Request form). For example, in the Client table, you can disable the fields used to automatically collect browser device, and IP information, if this is not important to your library – the data will no longer be collected and the fields will no longer appear in the Details screen. Another example is that you can disable, say, the Reason field in the DeskStats data table and that will remove the Reason table from the DeskStats screen for those who don’t use it. And a third example – disabling Expertise in the Question table will remove the question about Expertise used from the Question closing screen – alternatively, setting Expertise to mandatory, will ensure that an answer MUST be provided wherever the question about Expertise is used. (Note that code tables are enabled/disabled in the Code tables, and there are additional functions for disabling fields/functions in RefTracker the 7.x parameters.)

The data dictionary also allows the order of presentation of the elements of that table to be set. For Question tables, this will determine the order in which fields are displayed in the Details screen and output by the Raw data function of Statistical reporting, allowing you to have the fields most important to your library at the beginning, should you want to do this.

For each of the fields that can be used in RefTracker the following information is provided:

URL ID: The name by which this field can be used in a URL, to feed values into a Request form.

Column/variable name: The variablename by which this field can be included in an email or print template.
For more information about using these variable names in templates click here .

Default label: The actual name of this field in the RefTracker database.

Label: The name by which this field will be known throughout the RefTracker application pages, and the column header under which it will be found in the database or the raw data provided by the Statistical reporting function. You can change this name when it is displayed in a data entry box. (The name is changed in System/Code tables, for fields of type code list.)

Field type: The type of field in which this data is stored in the database. For more information about types of fields that can be included in Request forms click here .
-Text box is a single line text entry box.
-Text area is a multi-line text entry box .
-Code list is a drop down box whose values are supplied by the code table referred to on this line. For more information about fields of this type, and to make changes to the name or enabled status of a code table, make the change in Code tables, and the change you make there will be automatically reflected in the Data dictionary.

Code table: Any code table used by this field. Code table names and values are managed by System/Code tables. If you need to change the name or enabled status of this code table, you should make the change in the code table whose name shows in this column.

Enabled: The option displayed here controls how this field is used. Mandatory means that wherever this field appears a value MUST be provided for it, Optional means that the provision of a value is optional. Disabled means that this field is not being used in RefTracker. You can change this attribute when it is displayed in a data entry box. Note that Mandatory does not mean that the field must be included in every Request form, just that when it is included, it must be mandatory.

Seq: The order in which the fields in this table will be displayed in RefTracker e.g. in the Details screen and as output from the Raw data function of the Statistical reporting screen. Changing the sequence number for an entry, and clicking on Update, will result in the entry being reordered so that it appears in the list before the entry that currently has the sequence number that you entered. So, for example, if you choose sequence number 1, the entry will be moved to the top of the list.

Sys: A tick appears here if this field is required by the RefTracker system, in which case it cannot be Disabled.

Rf: A tick appears here if this field has been used in a Request form, in which case it cannot be Disabled.

Make the changes that you need to the information displayed on this screen, then click on any of the Update buttons on the screen, to affect your change.Request form, and where this applies, only the “Mandatory” and “Optional” values can be selected.

Enabling/Disabling Data dictionary fields and the cascading effect on Request forms
Changing the enable/disable status of a Data dictionary field also effects the Request forms in which the field is used. In other words there is a cascading effect of the changes that you make.  Simplistically, if you Disable a DD field it will also be disabled throughout all Request forms, and if you make it Mandatory, it will become mandatory throughout all Request forms. Only if you choose Optional for the DD, can you individually set the usage of this field in Request forms.

For this reason this Data dictionary maintenance summary screen provides a confirmation screen to remind you about this cascading effect and give you a last minute opportunity to change any individual use. Your change will not come into effect until you click Confirm update on this confirmation screen.

Make the changes that you need to the information shown on this screen, then click on any of the Update buttons on the screen, to affect your change.